Mirror, mirror on the wall

Among the mosques, museums, souks, parks and other interesting corners in Kuwait, I don’t think it can exist anyone as special as the one I visited few days ago, as a part of other excursion organized by AWARE. I am talking about the House of Mirrors, a private residence completely decorated with broken mirrors and other ornaments. Here, a very kind Italian lady, Lidia Al-Qattan, the owner of the house, widow of a famous Kuwaiti artist, receives groups of visitants almost everyday and she explains them all the secrets and curiosities around this unique place.

The history of the House of Mirrors starts in the 60’s in the past century. At that time, Lidia’s husband, Khalifa Al-Qattan, didn’t stop traveling abroad to present his works in several art exhibitions. During her periods of solitude in Kuwait, Lidia left her imagination fly and she began to put pieces of mirrors on the walls in each part of the house. When her husband returned, he was amazed and he encouraged her to continue with that decoration work. She did so till some years later a plague of termites forced her to stop her project. She didn’t give up and, after dismantle everything she did, she came back to her work even with more strength and energy. The result was a really magic place. Her designs are specially related to Astrology and the Universe, and all of them have an interesting story behind.

In the House of Mirrors there are several rooms, the same as any other house: a living room, a kitchen, bathrooms, etc. The decoration and the lighting of each chamber turn the experience as something almost psychedelic. It is worth stopping and observing with attention every little detail and listening Lidia’s explanations about the meaning of every element in her house. Upstairs there is a gallery where you can find part of the artistic legacy of her husband and his memories, and an interesting library.

A memory from Almodovar del Rio, a small town near my hometown in Spain, very peculiar

Visiting a place like the House of Mirrors it is very interesting, but it wouldn’t be the same without a guide like Lidia. This lady is a real well of wisdom, full of positive energy and a lot of creativity. Her talks about any topic (above all cosmology, philosophy and sociology) are very inspiring and it makes the visit an unforgettable experience. 

If you would be interested in arranging a visit to this impressive place, you can find all the information in its website, http://www.mirrorhouseq8.com/. The groups must be small, no more than ten persons. I really recommend you going here some day, I am sure you will enjoy.